


magic in our veins

by writing_addict



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 七つの大罪 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, And also the fact that they're the next generation of Hogwarts students and that means TROUBLE, Anyways, Because of Reasons, Epic Friendship, F/M, Gowther is a Metamorphmagus, Hogwarts House Sorting Ceremony, Hogwarts Inter-House Friendships, Hogwarts Inter-House Rivalries, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Multi, Oh yes, Post-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Marauder's Map, The Patronus Charm is now part of the first-year curriculum, Wizarding Wars, Wizarding World, also they have to save the world, basically wizarding fluff, because I really needed to start another story will three left unfinished, because dementor precautions must be taken, because they're eleven for god's sake, hooray for inspiration striking at the worst time, it's all friendship, like fifty years later, none of the relationships actually happen in this book, that's here too, the wars part is gonna come later, they're teased at tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-05 12:11:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12794277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_addict/pseuds/writing_addict
Summary: "It is impossible to tame the spirit of one with magic in their veins."Or: Meliodas gets Sorted into the only House his father openly despises, manages to make friends within all four Houses despite the encroaching return of inter-House animosity, struggles alongside with his classmates in trying to cast the Patronus Charm, and finds himself with an ever-growing crush on one of his best friends. Oh, and he begins to uncover a terrifying family secret that might just plunge the Wizarding World into another war.It's going to be either the worst first year Hogwarts has ever seen, or the best.





	1. express to anywhere

**Author's Note:**

> I really shouldn't be starting a new work now of all times, but when the Muses call, you have to answer.  
> In case the tags weren't clear, all the relationships are going to be mainly showcased in future books, because they are ELEVEN. Right now they've got crushes and that's pretty much it.  
> And without further ado....welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"There's the train!" Meliodas Leviathan spun towards his father, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with excitement. The Hogwarts Express was _huge_ , a beautiful, gleaming scarlet snake with smoke (that was purely for show, of course; the train had "gone green" _ages_ ago) pouring off of it. It was the transport to his destiny, to a place where he was going to learn _magic_ and _fly_ and do all sorts of absolutely _amazing_ things. "That's it, right, Father?"

Rexicus Leviathan let out a small huff of amusement, setting down his trunk with one hand (the owl that was gently coerced into the carrier on top of it hissed in annoyance). "Yes, that's definitely it." He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and dark, dark eyes that both of his little brothers inherited. Out of the three Leviathan children, only Meliodas had green eyes; people always commented on how little he looked like his father with his short stature and blond hair, and he was never quite sure whether he was glad about that or not. _But that's not going to bother me today_ , he vowed, sneaking a hopeful glance at the train. Whether he was Sorted into Slytherin like his father or Ravenclaw like his mother didn't matter to him; either way, he'd find a way to make his father proud. _At least, that was what he said_.

"Can I go on?" Zeldris's black eyes were bright with wonder, and he glanced at his little brother. He looked the most like their father, with wild ebony hair and eyes that seemed to glitter with a dark sort of brilliance. The only thing the two of them had in common was their short stature, inherited from their mother; both of them looked tiny next to the giant-of-a-man that was their dad. "Just for a minute, Father, _please_ \--"

"Don't be stupid, 'dris," Estarossa snorted, strolling back over to them with hands shoved into his pockets. His brother had wandered off as soon as they were through the magical barrier, and he returned now with all the self-satisfaction of a ten-year-old. "You know you'd try to sneak into a compartment at the first chance you got." Black eyes flashed with an amusement that seemed beyond his years; he looked nothing like either of their parents, Estarossa Leviathan, with silver hair and a flicker of a constant catlike smile.

"I would not!"

Meliodas exchanged a glance with Estarossa and rolled his eyes. Considering that Zeldris had vocalized his desire to go to Hogwarts from the time he was about _three_ and had first heard of the place, the argument was rather... _ineffective_. "I'll send you loads of owls, of course," he told his brother, reaching out to ruffle the eight-year-old's hair. "And you're going to be the one going soon enough."

 _"Three whole years,"_ Zeldris grumbled. "That's too looooooooooong." He drew out the last word, before descending into incoherent muttering, presumably cursing whoever had decided that Hogwarts students started at eleven years of age.

His father laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. "I'll leave you three to say goodbye, then." He bent down, arms open for a hug, and Meliodas gave him a dubious look. He was _eleven_ , for God's sake, he didn't _do_ goodbye hugs anymore. _You're not going to see him for a long time_ , _though_ , a small voice reminded him (very much against his will). _This is the last hug you'll get from him for awhile_.

 _I really hate that logical little voice sometimes_ , he thought, but he went in for the hug anyway. Rexicus's embrace was deep, drowning, and for a second he felt like he was five again, clinging to his father after a scraped knee or bruised knuckles, and he was suddenly glad that the stupid voice in his head had convinced him. "Gonna miss you," he whispered.

"I'll miss you too, little demon." Meliodas felt his father's hand ruffle already-messy blond hair and he drew back, staring at the man indignantly--he'd just brushed it, seriously; it wasn't as if he needed to look any _more_ like a little kid on his first day at Hogwarts. His father only chuckled, getting to his feet. "I'll be at the barrier," he informed Estarossa and Zeldris. "You two don't hold your brother up, okay?"

"Fine," huffed the former. Zeldris only bounced on his toes and beamed, all mischief and childish glee, and their father left with one last booming laugh, waving. He bit back a grin, wrapping his hand around the handle on the side of his trunk and glancing around, letting the mess of laughter and bickering and voices surround him as his eyes skimmed over the platform. A boy who looked to be his age floated--floated!--past, arguing with a short girl in white as a brunette blew past them and charged onto the train with her trunk dragging behind her, a disgruntled-looking Great Horned owl on her shoulder. A serene-looking black cat was slung around the shoulders of a tall girl with sleek black hair, flattening its ears with a hiss that he could practically hear as a lanky boy with blond hair edged past her, the tiny owl on his trunk letting out a hoot of annoyance. Pink hair caught at the corner of his gaze, and he turned to watch a slender person (he couldn't quite tell whether they were male or female) glide past, continuing right past a...

Oh.

 _Wow_.

Silver hair, blue eyes, and a grin that seemed even wider than his own flashed like sunshine through the smoke; she trotted right past him (he hoped that he didn't look too starstruck) chatting eagerly to two girls who looked sort of like her, but older, a man as tall and broad-shouldered as his own father following them with loving concern written all over his face. "Close your mouth," Estarossa advised, and Meliodas realized belated that he'd been gaping at the girl, shutting his mouth with a small snap as his face heated up. An knowing grin crossed his brother's face. "She _was_ pretty, though."

Pretty, Meliodas decided, barely covered what that first sight of her had induced in him, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah."

"She's a girl," Zeldris pointed out, wrinkling his nose. "Girls are...alright, I guess, but they're _mean_."

"You can't say they're all mean just because you don't like Melascula," he admonished, grimacing slightly at the thought of their slightly _too_ snakelike cousin. Mela was the perfect stereotypical Slytherin, back when House discrimination had been rampant (as it was, there was still a lot of competition, but Gryffindors--which, to be honest, his father generally despised--and Slytherins no longer hexed each other constantly)--cunning, secretive, and with a clear sadistic streak to accompany her Ministry ambitions.

"She bit me!" And there was the fact that she also had tiny fangs, for some bizarre reason. Odd defects like Estarossa's (and the unknown girl's) silver hair and Mela's mildly frightening ability to unhinge her jaw were becoming more and more common in the Wizarding World; he'd counted about a thousand unusual hair colors on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, including a very eye-scorching shade of neon green.

"What about Derieri?" he suggested, standing on his toes (he'd never felt his short stature as keenly as he did now, trying to stare over everyone's heads to get a glimpse of the silver-haired girl). The only daughter of their mother's family friend, the wild little girl was certainly more interesting and less frightening than Melascula, though she was worryingly aggressive.

"Punched me in the face," Zeldris muttered, crossing his arms defiantly. "Who just punches someone in the face? She didn't even get in trouble!"

"Because that's her way of showing affection," Estarossa replied. "Psychotic as women are, that girl has clearly stolen our brother's heart with nary a word, and we must prepare to fight on the battlefields of love--"

"Shove off, 'rossa," Meliodas snorted. "I don't even know her."

" _Yet."_ Estarossa rubbed his hands together gleefully, dark eyes bright behind silvery bangs. "Here's what's going to happen, brother. You're going to find her compartment, drop in with a little 'sorry, everywhere else is full', and use that magical combination of common sense, sarcasm, and terrible jokes to sweep her off her feet."

"You're _ten_ ," he felt compelled to point out. "And I'm eleven. How do you know so much about romance?"

"Unimportant," his brother dismissed, which meant that he'd either gotten into the hidden section of sleazy romance novels that their mother had loved and Father had deemed 100% off-limits or that he'd been watching Muggle films again without permission (Zeldris snorted with amusement at what the eldest knew he saw as the stupidity of his brothers; he was in all honesty the only one of them with any sense). "Now go, shoo!"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, reaching out to loop an arm companionably around his brother's shoulders, a one-armed sort of hug that felt grown-up enough for a Hogwarts student (he still gave a proper hug to Zeldris; he was only eight, after all). "I'll see you at Christmas."

"You'd better send owls," Zeldris reminded him, voice wavering just a little bit. "Every day."

"Well, obviously. You think you can handle that, Wandle?" The Barn Owl chirruped indignantly, flapping his tawny wings as if to say "Who do you think you're talking to?" He grinned at his owl, lifting his trunk up onto the small wheels on the back as he turned towards the train, hauling the boxlike structure filled with all the possessions he'd have at Hogwarts up onto it behind him. Already it felt more real, standing here in the strangely comforting confines of the crowded Hogwarts Express, the suddenly solemn black eyes of his brothers seeming very far away. "Stay safe!" he shouted across to them, but the rumbling of the train drowned out his words. Meliodas stared across at them for a moment longer, trying to force his eyes to stop stinging, before taking a deep breath and tearing his gaze away as he started the (surprisingly short) journey to an empty compartment.

Well. Mostly empty.

Red eyes ( _actual_ _red_ , the kind of scarlet that made people think of blood) opened, a grin stretching across the angular face of the lanky kid sprawled across the opposite seat. His lack of House robes meant that he must've been an incoming first-year like him, but he was easily tall enough to pass for a third-year, with a furry white thing that definitely wasn't a cat or an owl (or a toad, but who the hell brought toads anyway?) draped over his shoulder. Meliodas stared back, paralyzed by the strange intensity of the other boy's gaze. _Why do I feel like he's going to eat me?_

Then the boy barked a laugh and sat up, lips curled in an easy smile. "No need to look so scared. Unless you decide to piss me off, that is~" He drew out the last word in a languid drawl, strange scarlet eyes glittering with amusement. "Name's Ban. You?"

"Meliodas." He almost said his surname before realizing that the other boy hadn't given his, instead glancing back at the mostly-full train. "Um, mind if I sit here? It seems to be filling up fast."

Ban shrugged. "By all means." Meliodas could feel his gaze on his back as he forced his trunk under the seat, yelping as the train suddenly lurched forward (oh God, this was it, _this was freaking it)_ and nearly knocking Wandle's carrier onto the floor. He caught it, slid into the seat across from him, and glanced out the window. The sky was a pale blue, almost like ice, but the black-white-and-gray of the city was already fading, hues of brilliant emerald starting to roll over the world. _Slytherin green_ , he thought, and wondered absently whether his robes and tie would soon match.

"What House d'you think you're going to be in?" The words slipped out without him even realizing until a few seconds later; Ban, however, looked somewhat pleased--almost as if he'd wanted to strike up some kind of conversation.

"Dunno, really. Dad was a Hufflepuff and so's my little brother—well, he's probably going to be," he amended, and Meliodas chuckled.  "I think I might be Slytherin--Slytherin or Gryffindor, maybe."

 _Gryffindor_. Where dwell the brave at heart, they said. His father had never liked Gryffindor, calling them a group of self-righteous, overly pompous bastards, and he himself had never met one, but the stories he heard...well, he couldn't deny that some small part of him wanted to see what it was like to be part of a House of heroes. "We might be in the same House, then," he remarked, grinning at the thought ( _see, 'rossa, I'm not a hopeless case when to comes to friends)._ "My whole family's been in Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and I'm definitely not clever enough for Ravenclaw, so..."

"Maybe you'll be the exception," Ban suggested, eyes glinting with amusement.

Meliodas shrugged, still grinning. "Maybe." He doubted it, though—he wasn't brave, just reckless. "You have a brother?"

His smile stretched even wider, baring tiny fangs. _They're almost like Melascula's,_ he thought, intrigued. "Yeah, Therion. He's a good kid—sweet, friendly, loves Chocolate Frog cards. Basically the polar opposite of me."

 _You seem pretty friendly to me,_ he thought to himself. Aloud he said, "You hate Chocolate Frog cards?" 

A laugh was startled from Ban. "Okay, maybe not the complete opposite. What's your favorite?"

"Nymphadora Tonks," Meliodas answered immediately, and Wandle chirruped in agreement. His father had told him stories about the Battle of Hogwarts from all those years ago, about the heroes who died in it and were immortalized in history, and while Harry Potter himself tended to be the favorite of the masses (not to say he didn't _like_ him; Harry Potter was probably thirty times braver than he'd ever be and he had a name that sounded a lot less stupid than his), he'd always gravitated towards Tonks. A Metamorphmagus, a troublemaker hero that charged into battle despite the fact that she could've stayed home and protected her baby and no one would've blamed her, an Auror who fought Dark wizards for a living, she was everything he secretly dreamed of being. _Brave, good, loyal_. 

A low hiss came from behind Ban, but he didn't look, instead watching to gauge the possible friend's reaction. The other boy tilted his head. "Woulda pegged you for Lily Potter or Fred Weasley, to be honest, but Tonks is cool." Those fangs flashed in another grin. "My favorite's Sirius Black."

 _Sirius Black._ He'd been a criminal, a maverick, wild, quick to anger and quick to defuse, but with a heart the size of the sun and a ferocious loyalty to the people he loved. _Yeah, that suits him,_ Meliodas thought before furrowing his brow. _How would I know that?_

Of course, before he could dwell on it, a blur of pink-- _pink?_ What kinds of animals were pink (it was obviously too small to be human)?--burst into the compartment with a yowl, making Wandle screech and the tiny white creature jumped to its paws with a shriek, bouncing off of Ban's shoulder and onto the seat next to him. It was a fox, he realized, a small white fox that was baring its sharp fangs at...at a rather plump-looking cat that was now perched on the luggage rack above them, hissing. A cat that was _also_ bright pink with darker patches. _How the hell..._

"Sorry!" a voice, bright and cheerful and sounding slightly panicked, called. Meliodas managed to tear his gaze away from the (bright freaking pink, for some  bizarre reason) cat and towards the door of the compartment, where a girl was standing.

A girl with silver hair and bright blue eyes.

_Oh dear._

"Sorry," she repeated sheepishly, pulling her trunk into view. "Hawk got away while we were looking for a compartment, and it looks like everywhere else is full. Can I sit here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reasons behind naming:  
> Leviathan - a Greater Demon that's also one of the Nine Princes of Hell  
> Rexicus - "Rex" means king in Latin, and Rexicus just sounds like a pretentious pureblood name to me


	2. do what is right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sorting is simultaneously the most stressful and most exciting part of any Hogwarts student's first day.  
> Though it's mostly just stressful for Meliodas.

Elizabeth Liones, as she'd introduced herself, was in fact one of the most interesting people Meliodas had ever met. She was a Muggle-born, but her two sisters both went to Hogwarts--one was a seventh-year and Ravenclaw's Head Girl, the other a fifth year who was also Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain. "An illustrious heritage," she had joked. "But I think I'm leaning more towards the Quidditch pitch than a prefect's badge."

She was also an avid collector of Chocolate Frog cards, her favorite being Ginny Weasley ("She was absolutely wild; I heard she could cast the world's best Bat-Bogey Hex!"), and the owner of a large pink cat named Hawk, who absolutely loathed Wandle on sight. His Barn Owl hated the cat right back, and the two were glaring at each other sulkily from their cages. Ban's fox, Bronwyn, had given both animals an arched look and burrowed back into the folds of her master's robes, at which Elizabeth had laughed good-naturedly and barreled right into a conversation about Transfiguration, of all things.

"--Margaret says it's easy, but you can't trust her because everything's easy for Margaret, even _Arithmancy_." The face she made told Meliodas _exactly_ what she thought of Arithmancy, and he found himself wishing that he had older siblings who'd have their own experiences to dwell on. "But can you imagine Transfiguring living things? It must be horrible for the animals, imagine having your conscience trapped in a teapot or something."

"Sounds like a Horcrux," Ban remarked offhandedly.

"Yes, because we needed _more_ of those after the Second War," he muttered, unable to stop himself. As soon as the words (too sarcastic, slightly bitter, as if he'd been through war before but he _hadn't_ and they'd probably think it was pretentious and stupid and decide that maybe they didn't want to be friends with him) came out of his mouth, he winced, waiting for the inevitable backlash, the odd looks, the raised eyebrows. Adults used to be surprised that he knew bits of Dark Magic like that before he pointed out that Horcruxes and the Unforgivable Curses were now part of history, written in just about every textbook and novel so that people could learn their dangers, learn why they were so dangerous without going through whispers and avoiding it altogether. But even so, no one really liked to talk about it, as if they wanted to forget that there was a monster disguised as a man crazy enough to make seven.

But Elizabeth only let out a peal of laughter, flopping back against the cushioned seat and propping her feet on the bench across from her (Ban raised his eyebrows, but it seemed to be directed at her for putting her feet on his side of the compartment, and it looked mostly good-natured anyway). "Hey, I never thought of that! I heard that you can Transfigure _people_ , too, like in duels or something. Gil--that's Margaret's boyfriend--" she rolled her eyes a bit-- "they're so _stupid_ for each other, the two of them, but he's pretty nice. Better than a lot of the kids of Dad's work friends." The face she made then was even more disgusted than the Arithmancy face, which, Meliodas figured, meant they had to be pretty horrible. "Anyway, Gil's the head of the Dueling Club, and he said he saw someone do it while he was doing on-site training with the Auror Department--"

"The Auror Department?" Ban was the one who voiced the question, but Meliodas had felt the same words rise up in him, just as curious and just as eager. Though it was a dangerous job (the death rate was something Father had tried to hide from him and failed) and arguably one of the more unpopular because of the high number of casualties, something about fighting naturally appealed to him. There were times when he reached for his wand and was surprised that it _was_ a wand and not something else, though he never knew what _something else_ was, times when he itched to be on a battlefield, though he never pictured himself casting spells. Times when he couldn't imagine being anything but an Auror.

"Yeah, he's going to be an Auror. Margaret's training to be a magizoo-something-or-other." She furrowed her brow. "Magizoologistics? Magizooscienceperson? What do you call someone who researches magical creatures?"

"Magizoologist?" Meliodas suggested.

She snapped her fingers excitedly. "Yeah, that's it! Which is definitely a cool job; I mean, she's working with all these insane animals like--like _dragons_ and things. And Crups!"

"Crups are more cute than dangerous, though," Ban pointed out, sounding amused. "My little brother, Therion, has one as a pet."

"So?" she retorted, but that mischievous little grin was still on her face, eyes glinting. "What about acromantula, then? That scary enough for you?"

"Giant spiders?" He shuddered, but his grin didn't falter in the slightest. _Is he scared of those things or not?_ "Ugh. Reason number one why I'm not gonna follow your sister's footsteps." _Yep, definitely scared of them...but then, who isn't? Giant poisonous spiders, ick._

"I win!" Elizabeth crowed, bouncing in her seat (Bronwyn gave her an indignant look, the white fox awakened by the vibrations).

"'Wha--since when was this a competition?" he protested.

Ban barked a laugh. "Everything's gonna be a competition in this friendship, dumbass~"

"Friendship?" He felt his smile stretch wider and tried to unsuccessfully curb it, sure that he was beaming at them like a stupid kid. _Stop it, stop it--_

"What, did you think this was one of those 'talk-for-one-train-ride-and-never-see-each-other-again deals?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Sorry, but you're stuck with me now."

"Stuck with _us_ ," Ban corrected.

"Right, us." She rolled her eyes playfully, and the taller boy reached out and shoved her feet off of the bench where he sat. "Ow! Hawk, your honorable mistress has been impugned! Attack, attack!"

The pink cat only gave her a baleful look from within his carrier, and Meliodas burst out laughing.

* * *

 

After that, the journey to Hogwarts passed incredibly quickly. He had been cackling at some stupid joke that Ban had made, one that he couldn't quite remember now, when a prefect wearing Slytherin colors had knocked on their compartment door, saying that they were about ten minutes from the castle. Then had come a mad scramble to put on robes and cloaks (it was apparently quite cold outside), and to get their trunks sorted out as the Hogwarts Express slowed to a halt. Students, so many of them older than they were (and _scarier_ , to be honest; they were so much taller and _louder),_ crowded the aisle, and Meliodas edged into the fray, the others behind him. Wandle flapped his wings and shrieked at the older students as he rode on his shoulder, as if telling them to get out of the way; their owls only gave unamused glares and balanced on their masters. "Smug bastards," he muttered, deciding to commiserate with the Barn Owl.

"Don't be rude, they're our seniors," Elizabeth chastised next to him as they wove in and out of the crowd. One perk of being short meant that he could fit through spaces most couldn't, and Elizabeth was only a few inches taller than he was, meaning she could do it too. Ban, though, was forced to shove his way through the masses as they made their way over to the train's exit.

"Not them, their owls," he corrected, and Wandle made a sharp noise that sounded distinctly amused.

"Ah, yes, because _owls_ are what need to be scolded in the Wizarding World--"

"You don't even _have_ an owl, don't make fun of me--"

"Kids," Ban interrupted, suddenly reappearing next to them (he must've shoved his way through the others to get to them) with Bronwyn perched on his shoulder. "Maybe stop fighting and watch where you're going?"

"You're the same age as I am," Meliodas huffed, but he looked up anyway. Sure enough, there were only a few kids ahead of them now, the stone platform and the horseless carriages that took upperclassmen up to the castle (which they couldn't see yet) coming into view. He stumbled, a bit wobbly from sitting for so long, onto the platform, shivering a bit at the chill and standing on his toes to try and look over the crowd. _That's a lot of people...where are we supposed to go? Father said there were boats._

"Yeah, but I'm not bickering like a five-year-old over owls, of all things." His friend winced as Elizabeth socked him in the shoulder, stepping down onto the platform after him. "Ow~"

"Ha! That's payback for pushing me off the seat!" She punched the air victoriously, before frowning. "Where do we go again?"

Someone spoke from behind them, sounding amused. "The Care of Magical Creatures Professor should be up ahead with the boats. We just have to keep moving forward." Meliodas turned, and recognized with a sudden start the black-haired girl with the matching cat, her golden eyes glittering with a frighteningly similar light to those of her pet. "I'm Merlin Aldan. You?"

"These two are Meliodas and Ban," Elizabeth chirped before he could speak. "And I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you!"

Merlin arched an eyebrow, a smirk (one that he figured was likely permanent) on her face. "Likewise...I think. See you lot in the castle," she added, before breezing past them and vanishing into the crowd.

 _That was...confusing. Helpful, but also confusing_. "Um," he said, because he wasn't sure if there was anything else he could say after such a bizarre encounter. "Shall we..."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea~" Ban hummed. Meliodas yelped as a heavy arm was draped across his shoulders, twisting to glare up at his friend, who only grinned. Elizabeth was tucked under his other arm, rolling her eyes, and a miffed glance was sent his way. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"Let me up, you great oaf," she protested. He burst out laughing at the affronted look Ban gave her, ears barely registering the shout of "First years! Midgets, this way!" that came from a tall woman with wild red hair as they made their way down the platform and past her. The little fleet of silver boats (which looked far too delicate to actually carry them, but at this point he was so excited that he'd swim across the lake and brave that giant squid everyone said was in there to get to Hogwarts Castle) waited patiently on the gleaming black water, the other first-years clustered around them. He caught sight of the floating boy again (and the small blonde who looked like sort of like him) talking to an angular-faced boy with green hair and a mischievous grin, and the mysterious Merlin chatting easily with a brunette with her hair tied in pigtails. However, before he could decided whether to introduce himself to them (they looked like interesting people, after all, and he was very fond of interesting people), the red-haired woman strode past and whipped around to face them, cloak fanning out as thought it had a mind of its own.

 _"Sonorus,"_ he heard her murmur, her wand pointed at her throat, before clapping her hands. The sound rang out over the crowd of eleven-year-olds, and he heard Elizabeth and Ban stop bickering behind him as they turned to listen as well. The witch lifted her chin and grinned down at them, golden eyes dancing.  "Alright, first years, how're you doing? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. I'm Professor Lupin, and I'll have you in third year if you decide to take Care of Magical Creatures. Incidentally, I'm also taking you up to the castle." She tapped one of the boats with her wand. "No more than four to a boat; otherwise you'll sink and I really don't want to have to deal with an overexcited giant squid trying to 'rescue' new students."

 _Professor Lupin_. "Think she's related to Remus Lupin?" he muttered to Ban, who shrugged. It was Elizabeth who answered his question, slipping into a boat with a surefootedness that surprised him.

"Probably. Teddy Lupin married Victoire Weasley, didn't he? And they had--I can't remember whether it was two kids or three. Maybe one of them became a professor here." She glanced over at him as he settled onto the bench next to her. "Still, can you _believe_ it? We're here! At Hogwarts!" She waved her arms enthusiastically, almost hitting the poor guy who sat behind them (next to Ban, who'd had the sense to duck when the excitement crossed her face). "And we're going to learn magic and live in a castle--"

"And have loads of homework," Ban muttered, and she whacked him indignantly in the shoulder, resulting in a bark of laughter coming from the taller boy, followed by a shout of surprise as the fleet of boats suddenly sped off across the glistening lake. Meliodas found himself rolling his eyes, but a grin was stretching across his face, and he was already craning his neck to catch his first glimpse of--

"There!" In a fit of excitement not unlike what happened when he saw a particularly cute dog, he grabbed Elizabeth's shoulder (Wandle let out a hissing noise as he flapped off his shoulder and into the night, hopefully going to the castle), shaking her slightly as his gaze drifted to the stone castle. Her annoyed yelp (which he felt a momentary pang of guilt for) was quickly stifled by a gasp of awe.

Hogwarts rose above them, silvery-gray stone blotting out the night sky as the boats drew closer and closer. Light gleamed in the many, many windows, the stars paling in comparison to the magnificent sight. _Home_ , some small part of him whispered, and he shivered with delight as the little fleet carrying dozens of awed eleven-year-olds passed into a passage beneath the castle that would house them all, one that had survived wars and seen Fate play its hand within its walls.

 _Home_. 

By the time they all tramped into the Great Hall and lined up (alphabetical order, with Elizabeth just a few people behind him), Meliodas was absolutely starving. He gazed at the golden plates and cups wistfully; Father had told him that they magically filled with food when the Headmaster or Headmistress willed it, which was always after the Sorting. Of course, his appetite started to dwindle immediately as soon as the Deputy Headmaster (Hendricksen, he thought his name was) stood and called out the first name: "Abraham, Gloria!" 

A small girl with reddish-brown hair tied up in a ponytail ran up and sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat (which looked fairly old, but nowhere near over a thousand) was placed on her head, dropping over her eyes, and it--after a moment's deliberation--roared out: "HUFFLEPUFF!"

And the line moved up, up, up--up, as "Adharc, Gowther" became a Ravenclaw, up as the mysterious "Aldan, Merlin" became a Slytherin, up as they moved through to names beginning with B, and then onwards.

Meliodas gulped as he drew nearer to the front of the line, nervousness starting to settle comfortably (or was it uncomfortably?) back in. He knotted his hands together in an attempt to keep from fidgeting, jumping a bit as the Hat bellowed out "RAVENCLAW" at the top of its lungs and watching the floating boy drift away towards the cheering Ravenclaw table. _Will that be me?_ He glanced around at the other tables--green and silver, black and yellow, red and gold. _Or will I be one of them?_

_Will Father really be okay with it if I am Sorted into any House other than Slytherin?_

"Haearn, Diane" became a Hufflepuff, grinning as she hopped off the stool and ran to her new House's table. Shortly after her came the few with last names starting with "I" or "K" followed after, mostly Ravenclaws with a few Sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin among them. And then, of course (he'd never cursed alphabetical order so much in his life), it was his turn to get up--in front of the entire school--and be Sorted into a House that supposedly had his defining traits.

Whatever _those_ were. He guessed that nervousness and the ability to be incredibly awkward didn't count.

"Leviathan, Meliodas!"

A shudder ran through his body, but he forced himself to step forward. Just before he could start up on the steps, something touched his shoulder and he glanced back. Elizabeth mouthed "good luck" at him, smiling brightly, and he felt a little bit braver.

 _It's just a hat. Right. You can handle wearing a hat_. He tugged on a strand of his hair thoughtfully as he trotted up the steps, nearly tripping over the hem of his robes as he turned to sit on the stool. For a second, he caught sight of the school (the entire school, thousands of kids watching him like--like hungry animals, or something), and a bolt of anxiety struck him--and then the Sorting Hat was dropped over his eyes, and the world became a blur of black.

 _Interesting_ , a voice whispered, and he struggled not to jump in surprise, _very interesting..._

Panic spun within him. _What--how--_

 _What, you thought I could only yell and sing? I'm insulted_. The Hat made a dry, rasping noise in his ear that he thought might be a chuckle. _Just let me do my job, boy, and I'll be out of your hair._ _My, but there's a good deal of talent...and curiosity, oh yes, plenty of that. Hmm, but your loyalty certainly seems to outshine even that, and what a ferocious sort of loyalty it is. You'd kill to protect them, wouldn't you?_

 _Them?_ he asked, biting his lip instinctively, deciding not to focus on the "killing" part. He didn't think he'd have the power to kill anyone, ever. Unless, maybe, they were threatening someone else.

_Ah, so you don't know yet...don't worry, boy, with a mind like yours, you'll figure it out. Recklessness, though...good Merlin, there's a huge amount of that. I don't know whether to be concerned or impressed. And courage, oh my, you're a brave one. What do you choose?_

_Ch-choose?_ He wasn't sure how he'd managed to stutter while thinking, of all things, but of course _he'd_ be the one to do so.

_Clearly, boy, you could slot nicely into any House; I haven't had such a difficult Sortee since Neville Longbottom. You lack ambition, but you've got the qualities of a good leader and a kind of reckless courage only matched by your fierce loyalty. You love to fight, but hate to kill, you're intelligent and quick to grasp new concepts...so choose. What path will be yours?_

_Slytherin_ , he almost said, the word on the tip of  his tongue. Slytherin should've been his first choice, his only choice, but it wasn't, somehow. Blue eyes flickered behind his closed eyelids, followed by red and then black, black, _black_ \--

 _I choose to shape my own path,_ a new voice whispered. It sounded sort of like his, but older, fiercer, battle-worn. _I won't let anyone control me anymore. I will do what is right._

 _Do what is right_.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Cheers erupted as the Hat was whisked off his head; he stood, ears ringing as dread pulsed within him. He stumbled over to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to someone who looked to be in their third year and staring blankly down at his golden plate. _What will Father say? Will he hate me? Will he--_

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat boomed, and he looked up as Elizabeth barreled over to the table with a whoop, hugging a short-haired girl who looked sort of like her (her older sister, maybe?) before dropping into the seat across from him, eyes gleaming. 

And Meliodas found (cheering with her as Ban was Sorted into Gryffindor as well, though he thought Slytherin would've done just as well for him, laughing as Headmaster Zaratras gave a speech that made absolutely no sense, piling his plate with just about everything on the table, peppermint humbugs included and stealing potatoes off of Ban's plate) that--in that moment, at least--he didn't really care _what_ his father thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reasons for Houses:  
> Merlin: Manipulative, ambitious, clever, with excellent leadership skills--definitely a Slytherin.  
> King: While he also slotted well into Slytherin (and Hufflepuff), he functions as the group's "voice of reason" and can be a bit stuck-up/a bit of a know-it-all sometimes. Ravenclaw.  
> Gowther: Logical, clever, fond of books--Ravenclaw (and yes, I'm talking about the post-getting-his-emotions-back Gowther, because he's still a rational thinker even if he's also adorable)  
> Diane: Incredibly loyal (goes beserk when her friends are threatened), doesn't actually crave battle (though she's still an amazing fighter), kind and optimistic. Hufflepuff  
> Escanor: Though you didn't see him Sorted, he's in Slytherin because of his intense pride and ego--not to say that all Slytherins are prideful, but it is a defining trait.  
> Ban: Honestly, I could've placed him in Gryffindor or Slytherin and it would've worked, but I went with Gryffindor because a: I crave a scene where he's the exasperated sane friend watching Meliodas fangirl over Elizabeth at night in the dorm room and b: he's not really ambitious, nor does he want to lead. Slytherins crave leadership, but Ban's perfectly happy following those he cares for.  
> Elizabeth: Look me in the eyes and tell me she's not a Gryffindor. Sure, she prefers not to fight, but she's also incredibly reckless, doesn't think before acting, is like the most courageous character in the series (she literally had no magical power for the first one hundred chapters, bt she kept trying to fight anyway). She also lives by their motto: "Do what is right" rather than "what is kind" or "what is wise" or "what is necessary", even if those coincide a lot  
> Meliodas: Again, he could fit into any House, but a. family drama was needed and b. he, again, lacks ambition. If his friends are safe and happy, if Elizabeth's okay--that's all he really cares about. And while that's a goal, and he's determined to reach it...it's not ambition, or an aspiration, really, so again. Gryffindor.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. a charmed life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meliodas really wants to do well in his classes, he swears.
> 
> ...Except it's hard to pay attention to the lessons when his classmates (his friends) are every bit as interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ban is a morning person. So is Elizabeth.   
> Meliodas is Definitely Not, but he loves them anyways.

Waking up in a blur of red and gold, Meliodas decided, was something he'd  _never_ get used to. The scarlet canopy of the four-poster bed rustled slightly as a chill wind from the open window—what idiot was opening windows this early in the morning? It was too  _cold_ —blew into the dorm room. "Ban?" he called out under his breath, mindful of the two other boys who looked to be fast asleep still.

No answer.  _Probably already down eating breakfast,_ he thought, and was surprised at the rush of affection it brought.  _Jeez, one day and I'm already this attached to him—to both of them._ He grinned at the thought of blue eyes and silver hair.  _Now I just have to avoid messing up._

 _And my chances of that are not good._ A grimace crossed his face as he blinked out the window. Being in a tower  _was_ pretty cool; the view was amazing (he'd never seen such a wild, strangely beautiful place). He pulled the covers away, reaching for the small dresser where he kept his clothes—

And let out a cry of shock as he was suddenly lifted off his feet by a pair of broad arms. "Mooooooooornin'~" Ban crowed, shaking him lightly as though he were a rag doll. Meliodas couldn't help laughing at his friend, despite being slightly irritated.

"You're the one who left that damn window open, didn't you? And you're a morning person, too. Ugh, I never would've sat with you if I'd known."

"Aw, I'm hurt," he laughed, dropping Meliodas onto the bed again; he let out an "oof" as he landed. "Excuse me for making sure that my friend doesn't miss his first day of classes."

He blinked dully, struggling to register the words. "Classes?"  _Hogwarts...school. Right. Not just an adventure, but an actual school._

"Yeah, classes. We've got Transfiguration with Ravenclaw in..." Ban made a huge show of looking at his evidently watch-less wrist, grinning. "Mind telling me, Bronwyn?" The little white fox opened one pale blue eye, before yawning and snapping her small jaw shut. Ban, of course, nodded as if this made perfect sense. "Right, twenty minutes. And we still have to have breakfast. I think Elizabeth's down in the common room, so hurry up!"

" _Twenty—"_ He lashed out and smacked Ban's arm indignantly, pulling his sweater over his head with only minor difficulty (he still had yet to shake off the heavy fog of drowsiness). "And you didn't wake me up earlier?"

"I tried," his friend huffed. "You muttered something about biting my ankles off before you rolled back over."

"I did not!"  _Did I?_  He slung his robes over his shoulders, struggling to find the arms as he shoved his feet into his shoes, stumbling in the direction of the door. Ban, shaking his head as he went, followed behind him with a snort of laughter that Meliodas more sensed than heard, and he shot him a look of annoyance.  _Come on, really, laughing when I'm late?_ he thought crossly, hurrying down the stairs and towards the portrait hole.  _It's not my fault you're scared of a blond midget—_

"Think fast, Leviathan!"

He let out a yelp of surprise a a piece of toast was chucked at his face, managing to somehow duck  _and_ snatch it out of the air. His brothers had always been a little freaked out by his reflexes (ones, Zeldris had said—he realized with a pang of guilt that he hadn't written to his brother as he'd promised, but everything had been so  _exciting—_ that would make a cat jealous), which kicked in at the weirdest moments, normally when he was shocked or focused, when his mind was zeroed in on one thing. When he wasn't, though, he walked into walls and tripped on things that weren't there  _all the time._ It drove his brothers half-mad, and he had a feeling that his friends would soon feel the same way.

Still, he took a bite of the toast and grinned.  _Marmalade,_ he realized with a flicker of pleased surprise. The person (he had a strong suspicion of who the culprit was) had actually bothered to get him breakfast so that they might make it across the castle in time to  _not_ get detention on their first day.

 _One day. One day and we're already this close. How much closer will we get as the year ends?_ It seemed what his father said was true—the bonds you formed on the Hogwarts Express were always the strongest. "Fanksh," he called to the girl waiting by the edge of the portrait hole, swallowing the bite of toast hastily and repeating himself more clearly. "Thanks."

She arched her eyebrows at him, lips quirking into a smile. "Next time you're getting it yourself."

He grinned back at Elizabeth, trotting past her as he pushed the portrait hole open (the Fat Lady's snores were abruptly cut off as the doorway was revealed. "Fair. After you?"

"After me," Ban cut in, breezing after him and jumping out of the opening. Elizabeth aimed a quill at his back, before laughing and skipping after him. Meliodas grinned, taking a moment to make sure he knew the passport— _Beowulf_ —before hopping out of the portrait hole. He called out a greeting to the Fat Lady as they left, causing the woman in the painting to snort and wave him off with a tired huff.  _That's sort of rude._

"Which way is Transfiguration again?" he asked, speeding up in order to catch up with the others. "And who's the professor for it, anyway?" While he knew a bit about Hogwarts, his father's teacher had been Professor Minerva McGonagall, who'd mysteriously vanished years ago (to hide the fact that even Death was terrified of her, Rexicus had said, laughing) and he didn't have any older siblings who could give him information.  _Will my brothers even listen to me anymore?_ he wondered suddenly, and felt ill at the prospect.

"Professor Hendrickson, I think," Elizabeth called, and he took a moment (a very brief moment, waiting impatiently for the moving staircases to connect to their small landing) to marvel at the fact that a Muggle-born witch knew more about Hogwarts than he, a pureblood, did. As soon as the staircase thudded into place, he started down them, glancing back up at Elizabeth and Ban as they followed. "And Margaret said it's in the North Tower, wherever that is."

"So we don't even know where we're going? Fantastic."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm sure one of the ghosts will know! Or an upperclassman, maybe?"

"All the upperclassmen are either sleeping or in class," Ban pointed out.

She shrugged, acting as though that wasn't remotely an issue (even though Meliodas found it a sort-of big one, because he was already making them late and they didn't need to be lost on top of it). "Then we find a ghost."

As if her words were a Summoning Charm, a ghost— _Nearly Headless Nick_ , he thought in awe (the ghost was notorious in all Houses)—drifted through the wall and across the stairs. Elizabeth flashed them a triumphant look. "See? A ghost."

Meliodas stuck his tongue out at her, well aware of how immature the motion was, and trotted up to the infamous Nick. He'd seen some older students sitting with him the previous night (it had only been one night, holy  _crap_ ) and had been curious, but Hogwarts and the Sorting had been so overwhelming that he'd just focused on eating and chatting with his new friends.  _My_ best  _friends._ "Um, sir? Nick?"

"Nicholas de Mimsey Porpington," the ghost corrected, not unkindly (but rather condescendingly, he noticed with annoyance. He was eleven, not  _five_ ). He privately thought that the name "Nearly Headless Nick" was an awful lot more interesting than "Nicholas de Mimsey Whateverton", but he kept his mouth shut. "You're the new Gryffindors, aren't you?" Nick clapped his hands delighted, and Meliodas jumped in surprise at the  _lack_  of sound.  _Makes sense, I guess. He's dead_. "What ghostly services do you require of me, lad?"

"We're late for Transfiguration and--"

Nick held up a hand. "Say no more. You're looking for Classroom 1B, first floor, accessible through the Middle Courtyard." The ghost tilted his head and Meliodas yelped as it swung almost all the way off his neck, hitting his shoulder (Elizabeth cheered and Ban whistled appreciatively). "I believe that Peeves is down by the main staircase, so I suggest you take the side stairs to the left." He pointed over his shoulder, towards a winding set of spiral stairs hidden in an alcove. "Unless, of course, you want to get pelted with balloons filled with questionable contents before going to Professor Hendricksen."

"Which I, personally, don't," Elizabeth cut in, already trotting past them. "Thanks, Nick!"

"It's  _Nicholas de Mimsey_ \--"

Meliodas laughed and darted after her, Ban whooping as he barreled past them both and hopped onto the railing.

* * *

 

They made it in the nick of time. Ban was the first to burst into the classroom, Meliodas letting out a yelp as his friend stopped abruptly, his momentum causing him to smash right into his back. They landed in a pile on the floor, Elizabeth stepping daintily over them with a mischievous grin.  _Help,_ he thought, reaching for her as he tried to escape the mess of robes and limbs; she only rolled her eyes at him and turned to Hendricksen, who raised an eyebrow. "Sorry we're late, Professor. Overslept."

And he had to gape at her, because charm was suddenly radiating off of her, like a veela or a siren trying to lure their prey. He managed to disentangle himself, standing next to her and glancing nervously at their professor. He certainly didn't look like one to take anyone's crap, much less a few less-than-sane first-years. He stiffened as green-blue eyes cut into them, staring as a small snort escaped Hendricksen's lips. "See that it doesn't happen again, Miss Liones. You three may have a seat next to Mr. Fey and Mr. Adharc."

"Mr. Fey and Mr. Adharc" turned out to be the boy who could fly and the person with bright pink hair. Both were wearing Ravenclaw colors, and the pink-haired one was beaming brightly, glasses sitting crookedly on his nose. He immediately reached over the other Ravenclaw (who looked incredibly indignant) and shook Meliodas's hand as he moved to sit down at the table. "Hi! I'm Gowther; this is Harlequin–"

"Don't call me that," apparently-not-Harlequin shuddered, closing his bronze eyes in disgust. "It's King, please."

"–who prefers to be known by his middle name, King," Gowther finished.

King rolled his eyes. "So would you if your fool of a father named you  _Harlequin_. Ugh."

Ban snorted, earning a glare from King. Meliodas elbowed him, earning an indignant look. "What? It suits his stick arms!" King glared at that, and the blond shook his head in...well, amusement (okay so it had been a  _little_  bit funny, whatever), but also exasperation. He had the strangest feeling that this would turn out to be a theme.

"Ouch!" he hissed a second later as a foot that, judging from its relative delicacy (and surprising strength, ow ow  _ow_ ), was probably Elizabeth's collided with his shin. He shot her an injured look and she winced apologetically, before setting her sights on Ban, who was probably her target in the first place.  _Ha_ , he thought vindictively as his taller friend yelped in surprise, before glancing over at the two others at their table as Professor Hendricksen's voice started to ring over the classroom.

King was by far the smallest person he'd ever met, himself and his youngest brother (he really needed to get on that letter as soon as classes ended) excluded. While it was clear that Zeldris would probably be about his height, King was at least half an inch taller, though the fact that he could fly (seriously, what was  _that_  about?) made him seem like even taller. But he didn't mean small just in terms of height; King was fine-boned like Elizabeth, with delicate fingers and a certain alien familiarity to the shape of his face that made something pound at the back of Meliodas's consciousness. He wasn't small--short, yes, small, no. His build certainly wasn't delicate, his fingers were covered in callouses with dirt caked under wide fingernails, and his face made him look like he was seven. Not only that, but his (potential new friend?) group-mate had short brown hair and glittering amber eyes that were kind of sharp, like the edge of a sword or shards of glass.

Gowther, on the other hand, was tall--and  _pretty_. He wasn't sure whether he'd like being called that (and if his constant cheeriness was anything to go off of, he actually might), but it was true; he looked sort of like those porcelain dolls rich Muggles always had in movies, with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and lips curved in a curious Mona Lisa smile. Except the Mona Lisa smile was imperfect and so was the doll, because instead of having a blank, sweet smile, Gowther was grinning from ear to ear and twirling the matchstick they were supposed to be Transfiguring to a needle around. Meliodas kind of liked that better--the dolls in movies were always cursed psychopaths or something anyways.

"Isn't this exciting?" Gowther chirped, interrupting his train of thought and tapping his wand against the matchstick. Nothing changed, but he kept chattering undeterred. "I'm so excited; this is the first time we actually get to do proper magic with wands and ooh, do you think it went a little bit pointy there? I think it might've but I'm not sure–"

"He's been like this  _all day_." King buried his face in his arms with a muffled groan, flicking the matchstick across the table. Ban scooped it up and spun it between his fingers with a smirk before prodding at it with his own wand. "Woke me up at  _five_  in the morning because Professor Lupin was taking some unicorns across the grounds for some fifth-years to practice with, and then decided to practice disguises for an hour before waking me up for real by opening the windows. Like, not even just the curtains. The whole window. Opened. In  _September_."

"It was getting stuffy in there!" Gowther protested, before muttering the incantation again. The matchstick glinted a bit, but didn't change any further.

"It was not  _remotely_  stuffy, you daft--"

"Wait," Elizabeth interrupted, apparently latching on to one part in the conversation. "What do you mean by disguises?"

Gowther shrugged, but his eyes lit up--and then changed to brilliant green. Meliodas yelped in surprise as gold shifted to a shade of emerald similar to his own, but a grin crossed his face.  _Wait, so he's--oh, wow, that's so cool!_ He watched eagerly as Gowther turned his hair bronze and blue, the colors of Ravenclaw House, shifting fluidly between the two colors before settling on pink again. "I'm a Metamorphmagus. I can change my appearance at will." He winked, striking a funny little pose (and  _wow_ , that made his head hurt for some reason, as if it was a memory that he'd somehow lost). "Cool, right?"

"Not when you're doing it at five in the fucking morning," King snarked, before glancing around. "Who took my matchstick?" 

Meliodas elbowed Ban again, hiding a grin as his friend rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Ban, I wonder who?"

Ban blinked innocently, elbowing him back (Meliodas coughed a laugh, even as he winced from the blow). "That's what I was wondering, man. I think Elizabeth might've taken it."

"I--what? Hey, that's mean!" She swatted him across the shoulders and Meliodas ducked his head, shoulders shaking as he tried to hold in his laughter.

All in all, this first day was going quite well so far.

_Dear Zeldris,_

_See? Kept my promise! An owl sent during the first week of class--not bad, huh? Hogwarts is amazing, by the way; you'd love it. Especially Herbology. Professor Niniane is quite...eccentric, but I think you two would get along. Or that she'd get along with you and you'd just be extremely irritated, either one. I overslept and was almost late to Transfiguration--shut up, Estarossa, I can hear you laughing from here--but it turned out all right. I even met a Metamorphmagus! He's even weirder than Professor Niniane, but he's funny and kind. Scares the crap out of me when he decides to walk around disguised as one of the others, though. How are his disguises even that accurate?_

_Oh, I put in a picture of me and my friends. The girl on my right is Elizabeth, next to her is King, Gowther is on my immediate left, and Ban's the oaf on the far left. They should be waving, but I think Ban might've been making a face. Sorry about that._ _Um, and we're all wearing our House colors in it, too. I was Sorted into Gryffindor. Maybe don't tell Father yet? I...don't know how he's going to react. He hates Gryffindors, and I know this is kind of stupid, but I don't want him to hate me or my friends. They're all nice--well, they can be rude sometimes, but we mess with each other a lot. It's that sort of thing. But they're all good people, and I don't want him to send a Howler or something._

_Speaking of new friends, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, and Elizabeth's already making friends with them. Don't ask me how; it's like she magically attracts everybody to her. But Diane and Elaine--she's King's twin sister, apparently--seem pretty nice. I've actually talked to them quite a bit, and we've agreed to meet up during Quidditch tryouts, all seven of us. I'm thinking of trying out for the Gryffindor House team now that first years are allowed--d'you think I'd make a good Seeker? I brought my broomstick, but I'm not sure. I think I'll give it a shot anyways. Hope you're cheering for me back home!_

_Love you (and no, this isn't sappy, this is a perfectly okay thing to say to family. Shut up, 'rossa),_

_Meliodas_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reasons for Naming:  
> Gowther Adharc: "Adharc" means "horned" in Welsh, and Gowther is the Goat Sin of Lust  
> Harlequin King Fey: "Fey" is an alternate spelling of "fae", which refers to the "Fair Folk" or "Faeries"


	4. together we fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch is Elizabeth's passion. Quidditch is also Meliodas's passion, but he's much better at hiding it--until he reminds himself that he actually wants on the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whatdoyoumeanit'sbeenmonthssincethelastchapterwhoareyoutalkingtowhaaaaaaaat

"QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS!" Elizabeth pumped her fists in the air eagerly. Ban snorted at her, but Meliodas grinned and held out his hand for a fist bump. While Elizabeth was generally an enthusiastic person, he'd rarely seen her so completely and totally fired up. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes blazing, and she was bouncing around like she'd just eaten a bunch of Fizzing Whizbees. Of course, he hadn't had much of a chance to see her like this either, with barely two and a half weeks of school under his belt, an awful load of essays and practice already (he'd accidentally made the flower he was supposed to be turning red blow up by accident in Charms) assigned, but for some reason he felt as if he'd known her and Ban (and even the others, even King and Gowther and Diane and the rest) forever.

Quidditch, he had figured out rather quickly, was where her passion lay. Which was totally _awesome_ , because he loved the sport too and now if she got on the team (and he had no doubt that she would, they'd practiced a few times and she was an _excellent_ Chaser) he could...well, he wasn't exactly sure what he could do with her on the team and him staying on the sidelines (he was a fair Seeker, but nowhere near as good as some as the others), but it would be amazing to watch her fly. Maybe he could commentate.

Or...maybe he'd be put on the team as their Seeker and they'd play together.

 _Stop that. You're optimistic, not delusional_. He shook his head with a wry smile.

 _You're also a fairly amazing Seeker as well,_ a small voice whispered in his mind. _Who's to say what will happen at tryouts? You've always been good at flying...why not just see what happens?_

Right _._ He could do that quite easily; he'd always been fairly laid-back, but this, flying with Elizabeth...he actually _wanted_ it, he realized. Wanted the roar of the crowds, the thrill of being weightless, the excitement of the chase, the thunder of the stadiums, the voice shouting out their team's plays as they swooped across the pitch. "Let's go claim our rightful places," he murmured, shooting a grin at Elizabeth and Ban even as he tucked his broomstick (a Neo Arrow, based off the old Silver Arrow line; on the older side but still trusty and well-taken care of) under his arm. The light in Elizabeth's eyes was brilliant, and she jabbed her own broomstick (he couldn't see the label, but it might have been an old Nimbus) in the air. Meliodas felt a grin overtaking his face and bounced on his toes. "Yeah," he repeated, "let's go win!"

"You know you don't have an actual game yet," Ban drawled.

Elizabeth shrugged, standing on her tiptoes to drape one arm around his shoulders, letting the other one fall around Meliodas's. "Semantics. Shall we?"

"Of course, Princess~"

Meliodas laughed as they led him out it the portrait hole and through the halls, a feeling of warm contentment settling within him. He listened to Ban and Elizabeth bicker back and forth, occasionally tossing in his two cents on any given topic, looking out the high windows for the first glimpse of that glorious pitch. _I can hear the roar of the crowd already_. He closed his eyes, picturing it--the stands would be packed with students and teachers, the opposing team (robes of blue, of yellow, of green flickered in his mind's eye, eager and clamoring for defeat), Ban waving a banner with the Gryffindor lion on it and roaring things that would sound more like threats than cheers, things he and Elizabeth would both know was really encouragement. He'd follow their Quidditch Captain onto the field, his beloved Neo Arrow in his hand and scarlet robes with his surname emblazoned on them on his back. Elizabeth would throw back her head and laugh, dazzling the crowd with the fire in her eyes, before glancing at him, a grin full of sunfire dancing on her lips. The whistle would blow--they'd kick off--

"We're here!" Elizabeth's cheer snapped him out of the daydream, and he opened his eyes with a jolt. The pitch seemed to unfold before him, other hopefuls crowding around a sort-of familiar girl with short pink hair and blazing amber eyes who wore Gryffindor Quidditch robes. High above them were the checkered pillars of the seats, and above that--open sky, pure and blue and so perfect for flight that he practically ached to materialize wings somehow and leap into it. The Captains of the other teams stood in the middle of the pitch, a few early third and second years gathering around them. Gryffindor had apparently books the pitch for tryouts first, with Hufflepuff next. "Veronica's over there--GACK!"

Meliodas jolted in surprise at the yelp, glancing over at her. Elizabeth had staggered backwards a few steps, having been tackled by a grinning girl with hair the deep brown color of syrup. He was pleased to find that he didn't have to cast about for her name, a grin tugging at his lips as his friend extricated herself with a laugh. "Wow, Diane, you're nearly as excited as I am."

"Nearly?" Diane Haern looked affronted, tucking her broomstick under her arm as she crossed them. "I'd say _more_ , Miss I'm-A-Budding-Quidditch-Star." Her violet eyes glinted with amusement, her yellow-and-black tie askew and dark hair windblown as though she'd gone for  flight already. Meliodas grinned at her and she beamed back, eyes alight with a fiery determination. He recalled her mentioning that she'd be trying out for the Beater position on the Hufflepuff team, and wondered for a moment how good she was. He had a distinct feeling that she was well-suited to the weapon that the Beaters used. _She'll be a formidable opponent for the Gryffindor team,_ he thought, and felt an exhilarated smile spread across his face.

"As _if_ ," Elizabeth scoffed. Ban snorted behind her, and she shoved at his arm good-naturedly. "And as for you, you infuriating prick, you can go watch with the others like you're supposed to." Meliodas followed her gaze over to the stands, to where the rest of their friends clustered. Gowther was rapidly shifting from hairstyle to hairstyle, mimicking others in the crowd as Elaine laughed and suggested more, King watching them with fond exasperation. The ever-mysterious Merlin and another Slytherin boy sat a ways away, the blond watching her adoringly as she chewed on her quill and wrote in a battered notebook. Something felt familiar about the scene, even the way that Elizabeth's (pink, he still couldn't get over the fact that it was _pink_ ) cat strained to reach the bag of snacks that King and Elaine had brought along.

 _I know these people._ He furrowed his brow. _I_ know _them--but how? I've never seen any of them before--no, I have--haven't--ugh, this is all so_ confusing _._ He huffed softly, raking his fingers through his hair as Elizabeth, Diane, and Ban bickered. Silver flickered in his mind's eye, then pale blue and auburn and brown and _stop, stop, what is even going_ on. He shook his head, the fleeting images of...whatever they'd been slipping away like smoke through his fingers. _Focus on the now,_ he reminded himself fiercely. _Stop getting lost in..._ this.

Suddenly, a voice (brash and proud and female-sounding, raw Gryffindor pride echoing in every single syllable) bellowed: "Gryffindors!" Meliodas blinked and looked up as Elizabeth darted back over to his side, Ban giving them both a thumbs-up as he went to join the others. Diane wished them good luck before rejoining the Hufflepuff hopefuls. He shot a questioning glance at Elizabeth as she started bouncing on her toes again, leading him into the crowd of...rivals, he supposed. Most of them were third-years or above, almost all of them towered over him, and as far as he could tell, he and Elizabeth were the only first-years there.

 _Joy_ , he thought sarcastically, managing to weave through the crowd without much difficulty and joining the silver-haired girl at the front. She shot him a grin before turning her attention over to the Captain, the girl from before with pink--actually, it seemed to be more purple, now that he thought about it--hair and amber eyes. The Captain's gaze was piercing beneath her bangs, and the chatter of the crowd slowly faded as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Took you long enough," she muttered once they were quiet before crossing her arms. "Alright, for those of you who are first-years, I'm Veronica, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Beater. Six of you will make what I have a feeling will be the best damn team since Oliver Wood captained Gryffindor."

Cheers swept through the crowd, and Meliodas whooped along with them, a steady thrum of adrenaline starting up in his veins. The energy of the others was infectious, and he could feel Elizabeth trembling with excitement next to him. Veronica smirked, lifting her chin. "Everyone fly one lap around the pitch. Spread out and mount up!"

He could feel his smile stretching so wide it hurt, but he shoved the annoyance aside, focusing on the budding high and the sparkling clarity that came with mounting his beloved Neo Arrow, kicking off the ground alongside everyone else--

And he was _flying_.

Meliodas felt a laugh bubble up in his throat, let it singe the air as he whipped around a goal post. The wind tore at his face, stung his eyes, but he ignored it, could barely feel the pain. He was flying and free and the world seemed to burn around him with brilliant golden fire. Were the others around him, near him? He couldn't quite tell, but he could feel their presence--seven lights like seven glorious suns, propelling him higher and higher and higher, and he almost felt like someone else entirely. _How fast can I go?_ he wondered, subconsciously flattening himself to the handle. How far, how high? Can I touch the sun? 

"Lap's up," a voice cut into his thoughts, and he jerked upright a bit with a yelp of surprise, pulling to a stop. Veronica looped around in front of him, eyebrows raised. "That was some wild flying you were just doing. I've only ever seen one person fly like you do in my life...which, admittedly hasn't been that long." Her golden eyes glinted with amusement, and he tracked her gaze towards Elizabeth as she streaked around the goal posts. Her silver hair, bound in a ponytail, whipped behind her like a ribbon as she flew, her expression one of wild, fierce joy. Meliodas had to phsyically stop himself from reeling as she zipped past, Veronica snorting and calling out, "I said one lap, Elizabeth!" The Quidditch Captain shook her head as others completed their lap. "God, the two of you on one team...let's see how you do during the actual tryout." She darted back towards the ground, and Meliodas glanced back at her (he still couldn't think; the world was wrapped up in gold and silver and glory and all he could register was this sense of _stirring_ ). 

Elizabeth bolted back over to him, pulling up with a rueful grin, and he snapped back into himself. "You beat me," she accused, lifting her chin. "So next time, I'm gonna make you eat my dust."

It took him a moment to register this, but his competitive nature stirred and he grinned back at her, tilting into the descent as she followed. "As if. I'm a thousand times faster."

She snorted from behind him, the noise sounding altogether too gleeful for someone who had lost. "In your dreams, Leviathan."

"Excuse _you_ , who just won the race back there?" He glanced over his shoulder at her mischievously, hopping off his broom as he neared the ground. His feet hit the ground with a soft thud and he looked up at Elizabeth, who swung herself to sit sidesaddle, giving him a supremely disgruntled look.

"It wasn't a race so it doesn't really count," she countered, jumping off her Moontrimmer and hefting it over her shoulder. Meliodas snickered under his breath as Veronica called up those who intended to try for Keeper, leaving the rest of them to mill about and watch. He tucked the Neo Arrow under his arm, listening as Elizabeth kept up a steady stream of commentary about the hopefuls as they tried out one by one. He interrupted sometimes, curious about a few (a fifth-year named Alexei Quickwater, third-year Bryce Brooker, and sixth-year William Dale, who seemed to be the ones Veronica was most likely to choose), but he mostly just listened, letting the buzz of flight dissipate as Veronica, apparently having made her selection, shooed everyone off the field. The team would be posted on the common room message board once she'd made her decision--one that she was giving very few hints to now, unfortunately. Meliodas felt anxiety twist his stomach and shoved them away hurriedly; things could only end one way (badly) if he got nervous.

Beaters were next, only one of whom would be chosen. The Gryffindor Captain seemed to be a bit more cautious when choosing them--maybe because they'd have to work directly together. "Veronica doesn't always get along well with everyone," Elizabeth explained as they watched her slam a Bludger towards a boy with bright golden eyes. He managed to hit it back, earning a raised eyebrow and a few words of approval before he was sent down to wait with the other Beaters. "Which is why she's probably going to be picky about Beaters; they have to almost read each other's minds, and she can't do that with someone who she refuses to get along with."

"Makes sense." He followed her gaze as Veronica landed, clearing the others off to make way for the Chasers. "Looks like you're up, Elizabeth." He glanced sideways at her. "Good luck."

She snorted, eyes gleaming as she trotted off. "Who needs luck?"

 _People who aren't quite so confident. And me._ But he didn't say a word, merely watching with an ever-growing grin as Elizabeth Liones outflew nearly all competition, presumably claiming her rightful place as one of the three new Gryffindor Chasers...and then it was his turn.

* * *

 

"I can't believe it--"

" _Noooooo_ ," he whined, burying his face in a throw pillow. Ban was cackling madly beside him, disrupting the calm of the common room. They were undoubtedly earning weird looks from the upperclassmen studying around them, but he was too miserable (too embarrassed, really, because who even did what he had done?) to care. Elizabeth, of course, was giggling into her hands, patting his shoulder weakly. "I didn't _mean_ to! Stop laughing!"

"You--you _actually_ \--" Ban could barely speak for laughing and Meliodas elbowed him in the ribs weakly. "Oh my _God_ , Meliodas."

"It was _right there!"_ He pressed his forehead against the arm of the chair. "I mean, we're supposed to get the Snitch, right?"

"N-not by knocking other people off their brooms," Elizabeth gasped through her giggles, and the comforting pressure of her hand went away for a second as she sneezed. "Sorry. It's colder here than I'm used to."

"I--I didn't _see_ her!"

"You weave out of everyone else like they're not even there, and then you--you slammed right into her!" Ban crowed. "That--that was _genius!"_

"She probably _hates_ me!" he wailed, rolling over and covering his face with his hands. _I can't believe I_ did _that_. "I'm _never_ going to get on the team now!"

He felt Elizabeth shift, felt her snicker a bit, managing to stifle her laughter long enough to provide some reassurance. _Fat lot of good it'll do me,_ he thought morosely. "N-no, no, Veronica's probably impressed, if anything. It's not every day that you find someone so determined to catch the Snitch that they ram the Captain right off her broom..."

Meliodas found himself unable to hold back a somewhat-horrified snort. "That's _exactly_ the problem!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, making a face as he recalled in horrific detail exactly what had happened. He'd been flying at the top of his game, managing to weave successfully around the others until it was almost easy, as if he'd flown more difficult paths (he hadn't, but the knowledge, the instinct was right there, so close that he could reach out and grab it if he tried). The world had blurred around him, focused entirely on that blur of gold, so close and yet so far, and--

And he'd slammed right into Veronica, not noticing that she was _right in front of him._ He'd managed to grab the Snitch as he tumbled towards the ground (somehow escaping the fall with nothing more than bruises). Veronica, however, had been far less lucky, spraining her ankle and nearly breaking her wrist.

Needless to say, Meliodas was fairly sure that he had not impressed her at all. 

"C'mon, quit worrying." Ban hit his shoulder lightly; Meliodas resisted the urge to bite his hand. "Whatever happens, happens. It's not like you can change the past~"

"I _wish_ ," he grumbled, rolling into a sitting position and gazing blearily at the Gryffindor notice board. Someone was up by it now, tapping a piece of paper into place with their wand and--wait, doing _what?_   He straightened a bit, dread and hope mingling in his gut as he nudged Elizabeth and Ban. _I didn't think she'd get it up so soon._ "Is that what I think it is?"

The latter only gave it a quick glance, raising his eyebrows, but Elizabeth followed his gaze. A small crowd had gathered around the paper already, exclamations rising--"I didn't make it?", "Hey, Alex made Keeper!", "Is that Leon Froster for Beater?"--as people shoved past. "I think it might be," she replied, and despite all her bravado ("Who needs luck?" she'd said, and he'd gotten chills), she sounded _nervous_. "Veronica's pretty quick to make up her mind on things. So probably, I guess?" She shot him a glance, blue eyes dull with worry. He could only imagine what _he_ looked like; he could _feel_ the blood draining out of his face and the nervous increase of his pulse. "Should we..."

"We're only in our first year," he said bracingly. "That leaves six whole years after this to get on the team. It'll be fine." Except for the fact that he'd let himself want this, _really_ want this, and then he'd mucked it up so completely that it was beyond unlikely that he would make it. Abso-bloody-lutely _fantastic_. "Shall we?"

"If they chose someone else, I'll break their legs~" came Ban's muffled encouragement, and he snorted despite himself. Elizabeth managed a grin and nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the list; they managed to weave through the mass of people steadily forming around it (it was simultaneously terrifying and helpful, Meliodas decided, being short in a crowd) until they were standing right in front of it, the messy scrawl just legible enough for him to make out.

_Captain: Veronica Liones_

_Keeper: Alexei Quickwater_

_Beater 1: Veronica Liones_

_Beater 2: Leon Froster_

_Chaser 1: Moxie Reyes_

_Chaser 2: James Cordale_

_Chaser 3: Elizabeth Liones_

_Seeker: Meliodas Leviathan_

Meliodas blinked in surprise, rubbing at his eyes (blind, he must've been going blind or the world had gone fuzzy or something because there was _no freaking way_ that those words were actually there) and looked more closely at it. _It's still there_. He could feel a wild grin overtaking his face, disbelief and euphoria combining until he felt like he was flying. _Yes...yes!_

"YES!" He yelped as Elizabeth tackled him in a hug, nearly knocking him over. _"We made it!"_ she shouted in his ear, but he found he didn't mind, instead joining in her chant as they bounced in place (he ignored the fact that it was a childish reaction--he might've been eleven, but he'd seen fifth years jumping like this, so what did it matter?), still locked in their tangled hug. "We made it, we made it, we made it, we made it--"

They _definitely_ had a lot of weird looks directed at them now, but he ignored them, instead breaking apart and jumping up to slap his palm against Ban's, the two of them following Elizabeth out the portrait hole as she rushed out, still shouting gleefully, wildly as they ran through the halls, sliding down stair rails even as they moved, to the friends that were waiting on the pitch to share their own news. Diane was there, waving furiously and wearing her new uniform of black and yellow, and King, hovering beside Gowther with an unusually bright grin. The golden-eyed Metamorphmagus had been chatting with Merlin, but he beamed as the three of them neared. Merlin herself merely smirked and tilted her head, the tall boy--Escanor--with the warm coppery eyes and golden hair waving shyly.

He threw himself at these people, at his friends, and he let them catch him, laughing all the while.

Who knew just how good things would get from here on out?

_Dear Zeldris (and yeah, you too, Estarossa. Don't ruin my good mood, though),_

_Guess who's now the Seeker of Gryffindor's Quidditch team? Wait, don't bother, I really want to say it--it's me! You probably guessed that, though. I thought I would've been kicked off, but apparently Veronica was really impressed with my "determination" or whatnot. She also told me to stop taking so many stupid risks our she'd break my hand with her Beater's bat, but I think that she's a bit of a hypocrite. Everyone on the team is, but they're all amazing fliers. Leon Froster --the other Beater--is a bit nervous, but once he gets into something, he's almost as good as Veronica (and Veronica's really, really good. She's almost like a human Bludger). Moxie Reyes is_ terrifying _, though; I think she'd fly straight through a hurricane if it meant scoring. James Cordale is a little more low-key, but he's still...well, like the rest of us, I suppose. A little bit wild--but it's more fun that way, actually, even when Leon and James start goofing off. Our first match is in a few weeks and I think we're set to take the Cup this year!_

_Classes are going well. DADA is getting more interesting--we're supposed to start the Patronus Charm next week. I can't believe that it's already halfway through October! Only a few more months and I'll be seeing you guys for Christmas. I missed you both (shocking, I know)._

_Sorry this one's a bit short--I've enclosed a picture of the team to make up for it!_

_Love,_

_Meliodas._

_P.S. Has, um, has Father found out I'm in Gryffindor? Is he upset? Just wondering._


End file.
